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A Simple Plan

  • 1998
  • R
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,909
613
A Simple Plan (1998)
CrimeDramaThriller

Three blue-collar acquaintances come across millions of dollars in lost cash and make a plan to keep their find from the authorities, but it isn't long before complications and mistrust weav... Read allThree blue-collar acquaintances come across millions of dollars in lost cash and make a plan to keep their find from the authorities, but it isn't long before complications and mistrust weave their way into the plan.Three blue-collar acquaintances come across millions of dollars in lost cash and make a plan to keep their find from the authorities, but it isn't long before complications and mistrust weave their way into the plan.

  • Director
    • Sam Raimi
  • Writer
    • Scott B. Smith
  • Stars
    • Bill Paxton
    • Billy Bob Thornton
    • Bridget Fonda
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    73K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,909
    613
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writer
      • Scott B. Smith
    • Stars
      • Bill Paxton
      • Billy Bob Thornton
      • Bridget Fonda
    • 469User reviews
    • 113Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 16 wins & 24 nominations total

    Videos1

    A Simple Plan
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch A Simple Plan

    Photos93

    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Sam Raimi in A Simple Plan (1998)
    A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe in A Simple Plan (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bill Paxton
    Bill Paxton
    • Hank
    Billy Bob Thornton
    Billy Bob Thornton
    • Jacob
    Bridget Fonda
    Bridget Fonda
    • Sarah
    Brent Briscoe
    Brent Briscoe
    • Lou
    Jack Walsh
    • Tom Butler
    Chelcie Ross
    Chelcie Ross
    • Carl
    Becky Ann Baker
    Becky Ann Baker
    • Nancy Chambers
    Gary Cole
    Gary Cole
    • Baxter
    Bob Davis
    Bob Davis
    • FBI Agent Renkins
    Peter Syvertsen
    Peter Syvertsen
    • FBI Agent Freemont
    Tom Carey
    • Dwight Stephanson
    John Paxton
    John Paxton
    • Mr. Schmitt
    Marie Mathay
    • News Reporter
    Paul Magers
    • Anchorman
    Joan Steffand
    • Anchorwoman
    Jill Sayre
    Jill Sayre
    • Hospital Nurse
    Wayne A. Evenson
    • Bartender
    Tim Storms
    Tim Storms
    • Drinker
    • (as Timothy Storms)
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writer
      • Scott B. Smith
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bill Paxton's father plays the old man who confronts Paxton's character in the feed store ("Are you mean to tell me that there were five weeks last month?")
    • Goofs
      A funeral scene in the latter half of the movie takes place in the middle of winter, but is a full burial service. In Minnesota, as is the case with other northern locales where the ground is frozen for several months of the year, the funeral for someone who died in the winter would occur in two parts: a "real-time" memorial service followed by spring interment.
    • Quotes

      [Hank talks to the FBI agent about their stories to the police]

      Neil Baxter: Looks like we're both gonna have an awful lot of explaining to do.

      Hank Mitchell: Just me.

      [Hank shoots the gun into Baxter's head]

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Babe: Pig in the City/Home Fries/Ringmaster/Very Bad Things/Savior (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Spirit in the Sky
      Written and Performed by Norman Greenbaum

      Courtesy of Trans/Tone Productions

    User reviews469

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Four adults, lots of money, no one else knows, oh what to do?
    "A Simple Plan" immediately reminds you of "Fargo". A dull, snowy winter. Men beginning to cheat on a small scale, which then begins to escalate until it becomes out of control. And no one will *like* the ending, but it is the only ending that could make this fine film complete.

    It is filmed in Minnesota in the wintertime. Two brothers come upon a small plane that has crashed. Since there have been no news reports, they rightly assume no one knows about it. There's a dead pilot inside, plus money, lots of money. Everyone knows what the 'right' thing to do is. But what will they do? What would most people do? How do attitudes change as participants begin to think of the possibilities?

    The acting, especially Billy Bob Thornton, is excellent. You will watch the film without blinking. You will ask yourself, "what would I do in a similar situation?" Unless you only like light entertainment, you really need to see this film.

    Edit April 2020: I own the DVD but only watch it every few years, as I did currently. My opinion of the movie has not changed since my first viewing, good movie but sometimes hard to watch.
    helpful•83
    14
    • TxMike
    • Sep 7, 1999

    Top picks

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 22, 1999 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Germany
      • France
      • United States
      • Japan
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • A Thousand Miles
    • Filming locations
      • Delano, Minnesota, USA
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • H2L Media Group
      • Mutual Film Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $16,316,273
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $390,563
      • Dec 13, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $16,316,273
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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